Siege of Stirling Castle

The Siege of Stirling Castle occurred from April to 24 July 1304 during the Wars of Scottish Independence when King Edward I of England took the Scottish stronghold of Stirling Castle by siege. The castle's capture led to the submission of Robert Bruce, John Comyn, and several other important Scottish nobles, and Scotland was pacified for two years.

Background
After the 1298 Battle of Falkirk, the Scottish rebel leader William Wallace was forced to flee to the Selkirk Forest with the remnants of his Scottish army, waging guerrilla war against the English. From 1298 to 1304, King Edward I of England attempted to conquer the rest of Scotland, with invasions in 1299, 1300, and 1301 being confined to the south of the country by John Comyn. However, by 1304, only Stirling Castle resisted King Edward's army, and his English force laid siege to Stirling in April 1304.

Siege
King Edward deployed 12 siege engines (including the fearsome "War Wolf"), firing lead balls, Greek fire, stone balls, and gunpowder; the castle was held by just 30 Scottish defenders under Lord Oliphant. During the siege, several important Scottish nobles such as Robert Bruce and John Comyn came to King Edward to offer their submission in exchange for the return of their confiscated lands; on 24 July 1304, King Edward had the Scottish nobles watch as the War Wolf launched a flaming projectile against the castle walls to remind the Scots that their surrender would be final. King edward then sent an envoy to accept Oliphant's offer of surrender, ending the siege. All of the Scottish defenders were spared, although one treacherous Englishman was executed for having helped the Scots to take the castle years earlier.

Aftermath
King Edward then established a council headed by Aymer de Valence to govern Scotland for England, and Robert Bruce and John Comyn served on the council under Valence's supervision. King Edward and his son, the Prince of Wales, then departed from Scotland and left the council to run Scotland, which it did until 1306, when the brutal execution of William Wallace, the conscription of Scots into the English army, and the introduction of unpopular taxes provoked a second rebellion led by Robert Bruce himself.